Uzumaki Blood
by ZhangYuLian
Summary: A year's passed since the Fourth Shinobi War. Everyone thought we had created peace and that we were heading the right direction. But we were completely wrong. A disease called the Phantom Virus began infecting and killing people. And the organization Akuska began attacking various villages, killing even more people. Why is this happening? How do we stop Akuska? Where is the cure?
1. Prologue

**Naruto **

_Uzumaki Blood_

_**Prologue**_

A TIRED TEAM KAKASHI RETURNED from their recent mission. They reported to Lady Tsunade of their mission's success and soon after, left to relieve themselves in rest. According to Lady Tsunade, she had another mission for them tomorrow at nine hundred sharp.

After Team Kakashi took their leave, Tsunade swiveled in her wheel chair and faced the noon sky. "Just what are you up to, Netora?"

The night before while Tsunade was out at Shushuya, a mysterious woman approached her with a sealed envelope. "There is a small radio transmitter inside", the woman instructed. "When you get to head quarters, put it on and follow the remaining instructions." With that, she disappeared into the night.

When Tsunade got back to her office, she unsealed the envelope, and like the woman said, found a radio transmitter. There was also a scroll with instructions and a map. Tsunade followed through with the instructions—putting on the radio transmitter and dialing it to the correct coordinates. After a moment of crackling, a voice came on.

"Good evening, Hokage-sama."

"Who are you?" was the first thing Tsunade shot at the voice. The voice merely chuckled.

"I don't know if you still remember me, but I think if I'll mention this, you might remember."

Tsunade thought to herself, "What is this guy up to?"

"Stardust technique…does that ring a bell?"

Tsunade narrowed her brows. Stardust technique? She felt as though she heard it somewhere, but couldn't figure it out. "What do you mean by…" She stopped in her tracks. A gasp escaped her lips as a light flickered in her head. She didn't know how loud her gasp was until the voice responded with a light chuckle.

"You finally remember."

"It can't be…" Tsunade thought to herself. "How could this be? He's…he's supposed to be dead!"

"How the_ hell_ are you alive?" she demanded. "You should have…"

"Died seventeen years ago? What you saw in the papers were false lies the Third Hokage put in order to keep me hidden from _him_. You remember my brother, do you not?"

Tsunade recalled in her memories of two young boys. They were twins and excelled faster than any other shinobi she had ever known. The younger of the two became rouge and left Konoha. The other tried to follow, but was caught in an explosion and died, or so the reports said. But why did the Third try to hide his existence?

"Of course I do. Who wouldn't remember you two. But why…for what purpose did your brother leave the village, Netora?"

The voice was silent for a few moments after she called the person by his name. "That I cannot tell you over the radio, but I will soon, in two days time. That is why I had someone give this envelope to you. This radio transmitter is untraceable and allows me a limited amount of time of use. Inside the envelope is a scroll containing the following things I need you to do for me. I understand this is rash, but everything will be made clear when I arrive in Konoha. In the meantime, follow the instructions inside the scroll. Hopefully, that won't be much of a problem for a high ranking person such as you, Milady." The radio transmitter began to crackle, signaling the ending of its use. Tsunade was about to say something but was cut off by Netora's voice. Before the radio signal died, he told her, "And please give Naruto my regards."

Tsunade took off the transmitter and placed it on her desk. Just as she let go, the transmitter illuminated black darkness and then, with a tiny explosion, burst into millions of colorful specs of light. Her eyes widened at the spectacle, though it was small. "The stardust technique…" she muttered to herself. It never ceased to amaze her.

She took out the scroll and read its contents. She was shocked at what Netora needed and began wondering if she could supply such things. "Just what are you planning Netora? What is your goal here?" A yawn then escaped her lips before she pondered over her questions. Before long, her head found the desk and peacefully lay asleep.

And now, there she was, still pondering over the same question. Netora is going to arrive in Konoha tomorrow. Man, did she have a ton of questions to throw at him, especially the ones concerning Naruto. She clenched her teeth at the thought. "How could he have left Naruto behind like that?" she thought to herself.

Tomorrow, she was going to get all the answers she wanted, even if it meant being extremely aggressive. At least, Naruto deserved to get some answers.

"You better be ready Netora. I'm gonna chew the living crap out of you."


	2. Ch 1 Part 1

**Uzumaki Blood **

_Chapter One_

_A Shinigami's Joy (Part 1)_

[ONE MONTH BEFORE PROLOGUE]

"I GOT ANOTHER ONE!"

Kyatsu looked up at Tone and saw what he meant. Tone was carrying another body of yet another victim of the Phantom Virus.

"Another one already? How many people is this thing gonna kill a day?" Kyatsu wiped the sweat off his forehead. Today he had already buried 117 people who died because of the Phantom Virus. Plus the body Tone just brought, that made 118 people, his highest record of dead people in a day so far. Just seeing the sheer amount of people dying now-a-days scared the hell out of him. "It's highly contagious!" he heard someone say. "Once it hits you, you're dead like swine to a pork pot."

At first, he doubted their sayings, thinking this was all a joke to scare everyone. Of course, this disease was killing a couple of people. But no worries; a cure would be found soon enough.

Now that Kyatsu remembered this thought, he regretted ever thinking so. It's been three months since the Phantom Virus got loose. And since then, not a single doctor or scientist has figured out a cure. The death toll in his village had risen by three hundred percent, already killing a quarter of the people living there. Many had already moved out in fear, but as far as he heard, no matter where you went, the Phantom Virus was waiting for you.

His village was nothing but a ghost town now, with just a handful of people left living there. They stayed because they couldn't afford to move or decided the virus was another average disease and went on with their lives. As for Kyatsu and Tone, undertaking was a family business for generations. If they left, who would bury the dead? So far, after the massive amount of people they had buried over the past few months, they hadn't caught the virus—yet. All Kyatsu could hope for was to live through this like it was a bad dream.

After burying their 118 victim, Kyatsu and Tone decided to take a break and headed back to their worn-down shack. There, they rested and hydrated themselves to their hearts content so they could tackle the evening shift in the blazingly hot and sunny atmosphere.

"I'm gonna go relieve myself", Kyatsu told Tone. He headed to the back end of the shack and opened the back door, which led to a thick, forested area. After emptying himself out, he went back to the shack. But halfway along his journey, he felt an irritating itch inside his throat, causing him to hack up a nasty cough. After several coughing attempts, he hacked what looked like phlegm, black colored mixed with blood. Tone took a step back, shocked and frightened at what had just come out of him. "No, it can't be", he thought to himself. He brought a shaking hand to his face, trying to take in the realization of what he had, but it wasn't working. He had the Phantom Virus.

"Oh no, what am I going to do?" he thought. If Tone found out, who knows what the hell he'd do with Kyatsu. Tone might kill him and bury him, or just accept the fact that Tone was infected. But what if tone is afraid of becoming a victim? Then he'd surely kill him. Or worse—he might abandon him out of fear. Kyatsu imagined Tone, shocked and scared, screaming at Tone to get away and taking off without a second thought. Tone shook his head, not wanting to think about being alone all over again. Their parent's death had already been enough for him. If Tone leaves him, then Kyatsu won't just be alone, but will die alone, without any help, any comfort, without any hope. "No, no he won't leave me, he won't!" he screamed over and over in his head. Tears began streaming down his face and already he felt hopeless. "But…what if he does? What will I do then?"

Kyatsu got back on his feet and wiped away his tears. Then he began walking back to the shack. All the people he knew were already gone because of the Phantom Virus. Now that he's contracted it, there was nothing he could do. Kyatsu decided he would just accept Tone's opinion, whether it was rejection or exception. With no cure, he was going to die anyways. All Kyatsu could hope for was that Tone would accept him. But if it came down to being abandoned or killed, he'd rather die than suffer in pain and loneliness.

Back in the shack, Tone yawned as he looked out the window. What's taking Kyatsu so long?

Suddenly, the back door opened and revealed a pale looking Kyatsu. Tone looked at him with a worried expression. "What's wrong, Kyatsu? You look like you're about to hurl. Are you alright?"

Kyatsu kept his head down before meeting Tone, face to face. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "Kyatsu, what's that on your arm?"

He looked at his arm and spotted a black and red blotch. _I probably wiped it by accident when I was drying my tears._ He braced himself, knowing what will happen next.

"I…" Kyatsu began. Tone took a step forward and sniffed.

"So it's gotten to you too." Kyatsu swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He closed his eyes, thinking Tone was getting a shovel and was about to kill him. Instead, Tone wiped the blotch off of Kyatsu's arm with a handkerchief. Kyatsu opened his eyes in utter surprise.

"What? You thought I was going to kill you? C'mon, Kyatsu, you know your brother better than that." Tone smiled at him.

"B-But aren't you afraid of getting infected too?"

Tone turned away. "I've been keeping this as a secret for a while, but…" He rolled his sleeves and revealed his arm to Kyatsu, who covered his mouth. His entire arm was covered with peeling and dead skin. In some spots, so much skin had been eaten away that muscle and bone was showing. In others, those spots were completely black and smelled of dead flesh. There were several bandages, but they were no help. "I got it too. I'm sorry it I'm the reason why you have it. I didn't want to scare you. I just wanted to be with you for as long as I can. Mom, Dad, and everyone else we know are dead. I have no one else but you to be with. I didn't want to die alone and I didn't want you to be alone."

Kyatsu walked up to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "That's alright. I thought, you might kill me or leave me if you found out I had the virus. But, since we both have it, we can at least die together, right?"

Tone smiled back. "Yeah."

"Then let's forget about the virus for now and continue on. We still have an evening shift to do." They chuckled lightly before exiting the shack.

Three days later, the undertakers faced judgement of the Phantom Virus. Within the next month, the rest of the villagers fell into the same fate.


	3. Ch 1 Part 2

**Uzumaki Blood**

_Chapter One Part Two_

___A Shinigami's Joy_

[DAY BEFORE PROLOGUE]

"_THERE IS NOTHING LEFT BUT DEATH…"_

Netora stirred in his sleep, his mind recalling the dreadful memory seventeen years ago.

"_What do you think you're doing, Neshi?" Netora demanded. "You take an offspring of the Uchiha and now you're after Naruto? What are you up to?"_

_Negoshiomi smirked at his brother. "That, big brother, you will find out soon enough." Using shunshin, Negoshiomi disappeared from sight. Netora was about to go after him, but was interrupted by the cries of a newborn baby. He turned and saw a newborn baby with blonde hair placed inside what looked like an altar. "Could that be…?" he asked himself. Netora walked to the baby. Using his jacket, he wrapped the newborn and held him in his arms. Slowly rocking back and forth, he gently said to him, "Hush now, little one. Hush now, I'm here." He kissed the baby on the forehead and wiped away the drops of blood on his face. After several moments, the baby began to quiet down and snuggled in Netora's warmth. "You have gone through a lot, little guy. And now that you're the new jinjuuriki, you'll face much more, like Kushina said."_

_Instantly, the Third Hokage and his subordinates made their way to Netora._

"_Are you alright?" the Third asked. Netora nodded. The Third looked down at what Netora held in his arms and a heartily smile formed on his face. He then looked at the two bodies that lay on the ground. His smile slipped into a saddened frown. _

_Netora motioned to the Third. "Can you hold him for a second?" The Third briefly took the newborn baby into his arms, careful not to wake the sleeping baby. Netora put his hands to his face, around his eye. Using one hand to open his lids, the other extracted his right eyeball. The subordinates cringed in slight disgust. Netora faced the back of the eyeball towards him and pulled out a tiny, thin rod that was actually a miniature sound recording video camera. He gave the camera to the Third Hokage. "The child's name is Naruto", he told him. "On the device are their last words, as well as their requests for Naruto's future. Please make sure Naruto's future is insured."_

_The Third Hokage nodded in understanding. "And as for their bodies?"_

"_I will take them and seal them. If they are kept in Konoha, he will surely come back and try to steal them again. I cannot afford to let that happen." He put his eyeball back into the empty eye socket. He moved towards the bodies. With several hand signs, two open scrolls appeared above each body. Nipping his thumbs, Netora drew a streak of blood onto the scrolls and made the final hand sign. "Seal!" Multiple markings slithered on the bodies like a snake around its prey. A bright light illuminated the bodies for a mere second before disappearing into the scrolls, which rolled back into their closed forms. With a puff, they disappeared. _

_Netora turned towards the Third Hokage and his subordinates. "I know what you're thinking, Lord Hokage, but I cannot stay to raise my master's child." He moved in front of the Third and the bundle in his arms, gently caressing Naruto's hair. "Though I wish I could. I've discovered my brother's goal and I, at all costs, have to stop him. If I don't go after him now, it will be too late to take down his schemes. By then, we could all end up dead. I surely don't want that to happen anytime soon." He kissed Naruto's forehead. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but I cannot stay. I'm going to miss you so much…" Several tears began to fall from Netora's eyes. "Like your father mentioned, listen to what your mother said. And never forget—no matter what happens, persist until you reach your goal and beyond. As long as you have the ambition and courage, you can accomplish anything." He backed away and wiped his tears. Naruto had a little smile on his sleeping face. _

"_Go after your brother", the Third said sincerely, "I will take care of Naruto. There is no need to worry."He put a hand on Netora's shoulder. "You can come visit him whenever you'd like."_

_Netora smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Lord Hokage!" Before he departed, he mentioned one more thing to him. "If you can, file me as deceased and him as well. I'll create a diversion at the entrance." With that, Netora took off after Negoshiomi. About ten minutes later, a large explosion ruptured at the village's entrance. What the medical team found was the dead and charred remains of Netora Uzumaki. Death: Accidental explosion._

Netora opened his eyes, revealing the clear blue sky and radiant sun light. He sat up and stretched. Then he put his arms on his folded knees and looked into the grass-filled distance. He had successfully escaped the village, leaving behind the remains of his dummy body. Luckily, he was filed deceased and so was his brother, much to his content. But that content became washed over by guilt. He had left behind a young boy who was just introduced into the world and had no idea of the kind of life that lay ahead of him. But Netora knew. He knew very well of what pain and loneliness Naruto was to face, since he had been in the same position before. And not being there to comfort Naruto shattered his heart and soul. Netora had been looking forward to help raise Naruto and be a somewhat brother figure towards him. Even after Minato and Kushina's death, he still could have been there as a guardian. But his brother's actions prevented that from happening.

"I can't believe it's been eighteen years", Netora muttered. "Time flies so quickly." He looked back at the sky. "He's eighteen now. I wonder how he looks."

Netora got up, grabbed his belongings and began making his way down the road. He was nearing a village and decided he'd take a look. When he entered, the stench of death hit his nostrils like torpedoes. He covered his nose slightly, getting his nose to adjust to the disgusting smell. He scanned the area around, seeing nothing but dead and decaying bodies. Some of the bodies had black and red blotches on the skin. Others had peeled and bleeding skin. And then there were those that had chunks of flesh missing from their bodies. Netora imagined what could have happened to the village and it made him shudder. The Phantom Virus had snaked its way in. Those infected died, either by the virus or were killed from fear. Those that survived ate on whatever they had and could find. Eventually, they fed on each other. The Phantom Virus had destroyed this entire village. And it was bound to create even more destruction.

Netora took a quick sweep around the village. To his dismay, he found no survivors. He looked down at his toes and felt a familiar ache in his chest. "These people didn't have to die." He looked at the corpses, at their painful faces. He didn't want to imagine their agony—it was simply too much for him. "Why…why did you do this? Neshi, tell me why…" Streams of tears began dripping down his face. His body shuddered and shook. His arms wrapped around his upper body, trying to comfort his shakiness. He tried to contain his emotions, but he gave in. Netora fell to his knees. He let the tears flow easily and stream down his face thickly. His shakiness became more aggressive.

It was all too much.

The hope in his heart was degrading, ever so slowly and painfully. He thought he could start a new life with his brother, where they could live in peace and without worry. But that peace merely lasted. Losing his brother, he took eighteen years of his life trying to get him back. Every time he attempted to bring back the brother he once knew, the further away he was from his goal. And every time he failed, guilt and regret washed over him. In addition, he left behind a kin that he could have helped. No, he should have helped. He let the boy live a life of pain and loneliness, which he needn't gone through. Eighteen years later, Netora had no idea how Naruto would react if he was to find out, which he will eventually. Would he hate and reject him? Or would he accept him into his life?

He gripped his hair, broken. He couldn't stop his brother or be there when Naruto needed him the most. And now, the Phantom Virus was killing countless people around him. Everything was like a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces were thrown all over the place. He tried to place the pieces together, but they don't fit. Nothing was working. All he could do was watch everything crumble into oblivion.

"Tora-san", a voice called out. Netora looked up and searched around from where the sudden voice came from. "Tora-san", it said again. Netora looked down and spotted his small reptilian companion. "Hōyū", Netora replied. He had completely forgotten Hōyū was in his backpack.

"What's wrong, Tora-san? I heard you crying when I woke up." Hōyū looked at his master and companion with a worried look. Netora wiped his tears and gently stroked the back of the reptilian's neck. "I'm sorry I got you worried, Hōyū. I just…"

"Are you having second guesses?" He knew his friend enough to know something wasn't right. Being with him for so many years, he read Netora like a book. Netora nodded. He knew he couldn't hide anything from Hōyū. They knew each other just too well. Netora lifted Hōyū and held him in his arms, like a scared child would do with a teddy bear. The reptilian twisted its long neck to look at Netora in the face. "Tora-san, everything's going to be okay. It's going to be okay."

Netora looked at his friend solemnly. "I don't know anymore Hōyū. I just don't know…"

Hōyū sighed. "Tora-san, don't talk like that. I don't like it when my best friend is depressed." Netora looked away. "Tora-san, look at me", he demanded. "Look at me."

Netora did as he was told.

"You're not a failure! You only think of it like that because there are so many problems to juggle all at once. I know what you're going through is hard, but you can't give up now! Not after accomplishing so much already. The Netora I know doesn't give up, but persists until his goals are reached and beyond."

Netora's eyes widened. _"__And never forget—no matter what happens, persist until you reach your goal and beyond. As long as you have the ambition and courage, you can accomplish anything."_ That was what he told Naruto before he left. This was the quote he lived by each and every day of his life. That's why he was here to this day—to accomplish his goals and beyond. Netora tightened his squeeze around Hōyū. A smile blossomed on his face.

"Thank you, Hōyū. You're right, I can't give up now. I still have a disease to cure. And I'm the only one who can cure it." Hōyū smiled. "Now that's the Netora I know!"

Netora stood and placed Hōyū on his shoulder. Hōyū gripped Netora's shirt, careful not to fall off. Though he was the size of a seal pup, he did not like falling. "Alright, let's get back on track. But before we do…" Netora looked at the corpses around him. "I'd like to bury the dead here. They at least deserve that." Hōyū nodded in agreement.

After several backbreaking hours of burying bodies, they placed multiple incents in the centre of the village. They were to commemorate those who lost their lives to the Phantom Virus. "Please watch over me and my comrades as we walk this strenuous journey against this menacing plague." He looked at the many graves that lay around him. He could feel their eyes and faces looking at him. He felt their presence vibe against his soul. Closing his eyes, hand at his heart, he gratefully said, "Thank you."

Netora and Hōyū made their way on the road towards Konohagakure.

Netora petted Hōyū's head. "Thanks for bringing me back, ol' buddy. What can I ever do without you?"

Hōyū chuckled. He snuggled against his neck. "That's what friends are for."

He looked at the setting sun and smiled, hope back in his heart. It was true; he didn't accomplish any of his goals yet. But with a little more determination and courage, he was going to get there. _Phantom Virus…_he thought to himself. _Your joy will only last for now. I swear to the stars that I'll do everything in my power to erase your existence from this very planet, even if it costs my life. Just you wait Neshi, I'll bring you back. I promise we'll be together again…with everybody else. We can be happy together once again and live life to the fullest. Just us two…together…_


End file.
